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Bentley tore his ACL early in Monday night's Week 1 opener against the Giants. Although Bentley is an up-and-down player, his loss will be felt. The Lions just don't have much cornerback depth. Rookie Nevin Lawson will fill the slot. Wed, Sep 10, 2014 09:04:00 AM

Lions slot CB Bill Bentley has been diagnosed with a torn ACL, is done for the season.

Bentley was carted off in Monday night's win over the Giants. Fourth-round rookie Nevin Lawson will take over between outside corners Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis. Cornerback depth remains an enduring problem for the Lions. A 2012 third-rounder, Bentley will go into the final year of his rookie contract with just 18 NFL appearances to his name, and has been ineffective when on the field. He won't be guaranteed to crack the 53-man roster next summer. Tue, Sep 9, 2014 03:41:00 PM

Bill Bentley is expected to open the season as the Lions' slot corner.

He'll be the nickel back between Rashean Mathis and Darius Slay, likely holding off rookie Nevin Lawson. Bentley has zero INTs through 17 NFL games, and also struggles in coverage. Due to secondary deficiencies, the Lions will be putting a lot of pressure on their front four to generate pass rush this year. Mathis is entering his age-34 campaign, and Slay played poorly in 2013. Thu, Jun 26, 2014 02:16:00 PM

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Lions slot CB Bill Bentley has been diagnosed with a torn ACL, is done for the season.

Bentley was carted off in Monday night's win over the Giants. Fourth-round rookie Nevin Lawson will take over between outside corners Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis. Cornerback depth remains an enduring problem for the Lions. A 2012 third-rounder, Bentley will go into the final year of his rookie contract with just 18 NFL appearances to his name, and has been ineffective when on the field. He won't be guaranteed to crack the 53-man roster next summer.

Bentley is the Lions' slot corner between outside cover men Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis. The Lions can't afford to lose any cornerback depth. Fourth-round rookie Nevin Lawson has replaced Bentley in the lineup.

Bill Bentley is expected to open the season as the Lions' slot corner.

He'll be the nickel back between Rashean Mathis and Darius Slay, likely holding off rookie Nevin Lawson. Bentley has zero INTs through 17 NFL games, and also struggles in coverage. Due to secondary deficiencies, the Lions will be putting a lot of pressure on their front four to generate pass rush this year. Mathis is entering his age-34 campaign, and Slay played poorly in 2013.

He was quickly downgraded from questionable to out for the rest of the game. The Lions started Bentley and Chris Greenwood at cornerback Sunday with Chris Houston and Rashean Mathis inactive. Jonte Green will have to play more.

Lions CB Bill Bentley was forced from Sunday's game against the Cowboys with a left knee injury, and is questionable to return.

Bentley's injury didn't appear overly serious, but he's been sidelined since early in the first half after testing out his knee on the sidelined. His afternoon is likely through. Darius Slay is now in the game opposite Chris Houston, with Rashean Mathis manning the slot.

A 2012 third-rounder, a shoulder injury limited Bentley to just four games as a rookie. "Even when we had him last year early in camp, he was a playmaker," Schwartz said. "He got his hands on balls. He plays with a lot of spirit." Bentley is competing with second-rounder Darius Slay for a starting job opposite Chris Houston, but MLive.com considers him a better bet for nickel duties.

Bentley has been competing with Ronald Bartell for the No. 2 cornerback job opposite Chris Houston. The Detroit News and MLive.com consider Bentley the favorite to earn the job. He has the versatility to cover the slot in nickel packages with Bartell or rookie Darius Slay filling his spot on the outside.

The Detroit News considers Bill Bentley the leading candidate for the Lions' No. 2 cornerback job.

Bentley started three games as a rookie last season before being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Ronald Bartell has been working with the Lions' first-team defense throughout OTAs, with Bentley manning the slot in sub-packages. Second-round pick Darius Slay is recovering from knee surgery and is not expected to be available until August.

Lions second-year CB Bill Bentley is rehabbing from surgery on both shoulders.

Bentley had surgery on his right shoulder in November and an arthroscopic procedure on his left shoulder in January. The Detroit Free Press expects Bentley to be the Lions' nickel back this season behind Darius Slay and Chris Houston.

Rookie Darius Slay is the favorite to man right corner, and Chris Houston is locked in on the left. In nickel packages, Bentley would replace a linebacker and cover opposing slot receivers. Bentley is recovering from two surgeries to repair a dislocated shoulder. He's expected to be healthy for training camp.

Lions CB Bill Bentley underwent a second surgery this offseason to repair his dislocated shoulder.

Bentley's initial surgery took place in November, and it sounds like he had another in late January or February. He still figures to be ready for 2013 training camp, barring another setback. A third-round pick last April, Bentley flashed ball-hawking ability as a rookie but didn't cover receivers at a starting-caliber level.

Bentley went down against the Eagles in Week 6 and it appears he'll need surgery to repair a dislocation. The Lions will move forward with Chris Houston and Jacob Lacey as their starting corners. Bentley, a third-round rookie, should be healed in plenty of time for the offseason program.

Lions CB Bill Bentley (shoulder) felt better on Wednesday but is still "unsure" for Monday night against the Bears.

Bentley was injured against the Eagles in Week 6, as was fellow corner Jacob Lacey (concussion). Detroit has an extra day to prepare and rest up, but this could pose an issue. With Alshon Jeffery (broken right hand) out for the Bears, Brandon Marshall is the only legitimate threat in the Chicago passing attack. The Lions won't practice until Thursday, so we should know more tomorrow.

Coach Jim Schwartz was predictably unforthcoming with details, saying the team would "wait and see" on Bentley's status. It's an issue because Jacob Lacey went down with a concussion against the Eagles. The Lions could be extremely shorthanded at cornerback against the Bears next Monday night.

Depth Charts

The Lions' website expects the team to add "speed and a big-play threat" to their running back stable in the draft.

Joique Bell has failed to reach 4.0 YPC in back-to-back seasons, is coming off knee and Achilles' surgeries, and will be 29 before the season. Passing-down back Theo Riddick is a non-factor as a rusher. Lions GM Martin Mayhew has shown a willingness to use early-round picks at running back before. Detroit has already brought in Tevin Coleman for a pre-draft visit. Ameer Abdullah would be another great fit in the OC Joe Lombardi's scheme.

Lions TE Joseph Fauria will wait one more week before deciding whether to have ankle surgery.

Fauria originally injured his ankle in September while trying to stop his puppy from urinating in his home. He never recovered. Fauria appeared in just seven games for the Lions, catching six passes for 74 yard with one touchdown. If healthy, he'll compete for the No. 3 tight end job in 2015 behind Eric Ebron and Brandon Pettigrew.